`Juice Jacking`: Charging your phone in public may drain out your bank accounts, credit cards

How many times have you looked out for and used chargers provided at public places like railway stations, airports, hospitals and shopping malls? Do you know that charging your phone using chargers/cables provided in public places may lead to financial cybercrime? You may be thinking that I am joking but it's not a joke. With a rise in cybercrime as well as awareness against cybercrime, scammers have been using innovative ways to trick people into fraud and 'juice jacking' is their new tool. 

What is 'Juice Jacking'?

It's a technique using which cybercriminals load malware into devices being charged using public USB ports. Once the malware loads, the fraudsters access the devices - be it smartphones or laptops to access sensitive information like contacts, photos, videos, credit card details, bank account data and UPI details. They then siphon off funds from bank accounts or use credit card details for payments and it only comes to the light when victims check their bank accounts or get a message on their phones. 

Another technique that criminals deploy is that while you charge your device, they download critical data through the port you may be using for charging the device. You may be aware that USB ports can be used for transferring data and we sometimes also transfer data between smartphones and laptops using USB cables. 

Police and Banks have been warning people against 'Juice Jacking' time and again. Recently, Odisha Police warned people against charging their phones using USB ports/cables provided in public places. 

"Don't charge your mobiles at public places like a mobile charging station, USB power station etc. Cyber fraudsters are trying to steal your personal information from mobile and installing the malware inside your phone," it said.

The State Bank of India has also cautioned people against the trick. "Think twice before you plug in your phone at charging stations. Malware could find a way in and infect your phone, giving hackers a way to steal your passwords and export your data," it had said.

It further added, "Beware of charging your phone at charging stations. Hackers could be waiting! Juice Jacking, a USB charger scam could end up draining your bank account."

How to be safe from Juice Jacking or USB Charger Scam?

The first and foremost step to be safe from juice jacking is that you should avoid charging your phone using public USB ports. Here are some tips to be safe from juice jacking:

* Look for an electrical socket behind the charging station.
* Carry your own charging cables
* Only charge directly from an electrical outlet
* Carry portable batteries known as power banks
* If there is no electrical socket and only USB ports, then try charging your power bank using that and charge your phone from the power bank later. 
* Use a data blocker. It's a USB device similar to a pen drive and can be connected to your USB cable. You can then plug the cable into the USB charging ports available.